Bacolod boxing officials call Cebu colleagues’ claims unethical

International referee and judge Dan Nietes, late last week, aired side on the issue of their alleged incompetency in officiating professional boxing matches. “We felt it’s very unethical for a fellow licensed official to accuse his colleague as incompetent. They don’t have the right or authority to say whether a boxing official is incompetent,” he said.

Nietes, further, questioned the motive of their Cebu counterparts on bringing up this issue, adding, that “they underestimate the capabilities of Bacolod boxing officials. Why? What do they really know about boxing? Our Bacolod officials came from amateur tournaments before turning into professionals,” he added. “Sadly, it’s not us they directly hit but, former Games and Amusement Board (GAB) Chairman Juan Ramon Guanzon.”

Meanwhile, boxing judge Henry Cestina, who is also licensed with GAB, asked why their colleague’s didn’t raise the issue before during the chairmanship of Guanzon. “If they have issue with us, they should have filed it before the GAB office and not with the media. We’re all professionals here and we should deal issues accordingly.”

Guanzon, on his part, said that the basic motivation behind this issue is greediness on the match assignment and officiating rates. “Among their complaints is the lack of fees given to them by the promoters – which I explained that GAB could not impose because we’re helping the organizers to have at least low tournament expenses. If they want they could have asked the promoters instead,” he said. “But, if you don’t agree then you may turn down the job because you’re not force to officiate.”

The former GAB chief claimed that what the Cebu boxing officials did was basically unethical.

It was recalled that last November 22, a group of boxing officials called for a press conference as they filed a petition to oust GAB Chief for Boxing Dr. Nasser Cruz because of alleged corruption and immoral abuse. Moreover, the accusation also pointed out that Cruz “allowed incompetent officials from Bacolod to officiate because they were political minions or close friends of Guanzon.”*